Runic Beast
by 53N0
Summary: Betrayal. It was a fickle thing, it could change history if one person betrayed those he was supposed to listen to without question. Thievery. Stealing something you wanted or needed because you couldn't attain it normally. It was a wonder if he did what he did for himself, or to fulfill the dream his dad gave him.
1. Day (Night) 1

"Boring, boring, boring." A young, blond-haired teenager muttered to himself as he leaned on a massive oak tree. His eyes were red with an odd mark spinning lazily around the pupil, and on each of his cheeks were three whisker-like lines. He wore a white button-up shirt, brown pants that were a bit worn, and black sandals rather than shoes. Hanging from the belt holding up his pants were three pouches, all three with symbols drawn on them and none any larger than a fist.

"When's that dagger gonna get dropped?" He muttered. Really, it was hard enough putting his marker on it and setting just so that if it hit the ground it'd pulse so he could lock onto it.

He wasn't good enough to actually sense when the damn things stopped moving unless they were a few feet away from him, idly, he wondered how good his father must've been to be able to do so from hundreds of yards away at times. He knew how hard it was so he could say without a doubt, his father was a monster unlike any other. If he had spent his time learning and mastering Jutsu until he didn't need hand-signs instead he would've been almost as deadly as he was with this one.

The fact that he had also spent years learning to just recreate the technique and years more just to execute it was nothing short of amazing. He was thankful that he had been given knowledge on the workings of the technique and how to make a marker, because if he hasn't he wouldn't be where he was today.

A small feeling in his hand signaled that his dagger had finally hit the ground and a moment later he vanished in a flash of yellow.

XXX ? XXX

When he appeared he was instantly confused. First of all, he wasn't on the ship he left the dagger on. No, he was falling from the sky holding the hand of a girl who was holding his dagger.

She was cute. Long green hair tied up by two white ribbons, she had green eyes too. She wore a white, sleeveless dress with yellow lining and matching gloves, and boots. At the neck of the dress was a ruby gem prominently shown on a golden pendant with three smaller emeralds, stretching from the pendant were purple and white frills covering a bit of her chest area. A belt was hanging from the waist around her dress holding several pouches that were open and empty.

If not for the fact that they were falling from the sky he would've asked her name. "Why are you holding my dagger and falling from the sky?" He demanded.

The girl looked at him confused and scared, reasonable since he appeared out of literally nowhere and they were falling from the sky. "Who are you?" She asked.

He looked around to assess the situation. A ship was flying away fast overhead and far under them was a town. Too far under for them to survive the fall, well, for her to survive. He might. "Naruto, now why are you falling?" He had to stay calm, panicking wouldn't help right now.

"I don't know! I woke up and some people were threatening me, then they kicked me off the ship! I grabbed this-" She showed the dagger in her hand, which he was still holding. "And I tried to use it to stay on but it didn't work!"

So some one was threatening this girl, they proceeded to kick her off the ship, and she grabbed his dagger to try and stay on. It was sort-of an explanation, in the situation stabbing a dagger into the hull might've helped. If she had done it at the right angle in a reverse grip the flat of the blade would've allowed the dagger to stay without just cutting its way out downwards. She didn't look too athletic so she would've probably fallen long before they made it to a port.

He looked down again…he had no clue how to get out of this. It was just fall and pray. He sighed and used his grip on her hand to pull the girl into an embrace and put his back to the floor.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

He grinned as blood-red chains started crawling from his arms and surrounding them, it wasn't much but it'd keep him from breaking his back when they his the ground. "I'm saving our lives."

They were headed straight for the tallest building, a castle with an open skylight. The fall would hurt like a bitch, he could already feel it.

XXX XXX

Ventuswill, Native Dragon of Wind and Time, was looking up at the sky cautiously through the skylight of her castle. Not very well known to the other Native Dragons was the fact that they all had two things that they presided over besides their element.

She had Time and therefore slight control over Space, it was more along the lines of being able to feel when something happened spatially. That said, she could feel that a small tear in Space itself had just been made hundreds of feet above her. What in the name of her godly position as a Native Dragon, could rip a hole in Space?

Her answer came in the form of two teenagers, if height was anything to go by, flying through the skylight surrounded by blood-red chains…and kicking her in the face because they were too close. On the bright side, if she hadn't woken up because she felt the tearing of Space they would've landed on her back.

Still. "Ow!" She yelped in a nasally voice. She brought her claw up to her face. "My nose." She then looked to the two teenagers. "Kids?"

They didn't respond, one groaning in pain, the male whose back hit the floor, and the other unconscious.

"You aren't dead are you?" She asked.

The girl groaned and sat up on the boy, rubbing her head with one hand. Must've slammed her face straight into the boys when they landed. "Ow…"

"Whoa, you are alive!" Ventuswill exclaimed happily.

"Barely…" The boy muttered.

"Are you injured?" She asked noticing he was starting to sit up.

"By back just slammed into the fucking ground and I got head-butted." He complained, then he opened his eyes to see the girl right in his face. "…Hi."

The girl smiled. "You're okay!"

Naruto cracked his neck. "Of course." He looked around and finally noticed Ventuswill. "…A dragon."

"What's wrong?" Said dragon asked when the girl turned her neck too and they simply stared at her.

"…A talking…dragon…?" The girl said disbelievingly, complete with wide eyes and gaping jaw.

"Huh?" Oh right. They fell through the sky, from their reaction to her they didn't know who she was so they were probably pushed through the hole in Space. "…Well, all right. I suppose introductions are in order."

She stood straight and proud. "I am Ventuswill, the Divine Wind! One of the legendary Native Dragons governing this world." She frowned as the oddity of the situation wore off. "And I don't care if you've fallen from above, you have no right to enter this chamber un-permitted! What are your names?"

"…A talking dragon with a stick up its ass." Naruto corrected.

The girl giggled. Ventuswill almost growled.

"Lady Ventuswill!" A middle-aged man yelled as he ran into the room. He had combed-back, greying hair, his mustache and slim beard being the same grey. He wore a white dress-shirt under a black jacket adorned with a white band on the shoulder, black dress pants with a red stripe running down each leg, and black dress pants. He was a butler, that much was obvious. "What in the world was that noise I just heard?!" He asked worriedly.

"Whoa, nice mustache old man." Naruto complimented.

It was then that the man noticed them. "Egads! Who is this knave?!" He asked.

The man tensed and was about to charge when Ventuswill spoke. "Wait, Volcanon."

"B-but…"

"I said wait. We are talking now." Ventuswill ordered.

The man, Volcanon, didn't seem happy but nodded nonetheless and backed away a step, but he was still tense. "Yes, Ma'am…"

Ventuswill then changed her focus to the two teens before her, she noticed the boy moved the girl off of his lap and helped her to her feet while she wasn't looking. "So, who are you?"

"Name's Naruto."

"…Frey, I think…"

Everyone focused on her. "You mustn't give me a vague, noncommittal answer. Say it clearly."

The girl looked down sadly. "Well…um…that's the best I can do, I'm afraid. I can't remember anything else besides my own name…"

"Oh, my!" The butler gasped.

"…You speak the truth?" Ventuswill asked. She got a quiet nod in return. "…I see honesty in your eyes. But amnesia…!"

"I'm so sorry for your loss!" Volcanon cried. "You must be very confused, losing your memory like this!" He suddenly turned serious. "But rest assured!" He teared up again. "I-I'll always be on your side!"

"The fuck? Is that guy bipolar or something?" Naruto whispered to Frey.

Before Frey could comment, or Ventuswill who heard, Volcanon turned to the dragon. "Wait a minute! Perhaps she's the Princess we've been waiting for!"

"What?" Naruto and Frey asked as one.

"Hmm…" Ventuswill hummed. "You do have an air of nobility about you. You must have lost your memory from the shock of the fall. Do you have any idea how or why you came to drop from above?"

"Well, you see…" Frey began.

"Someone kicked her off an airship, then she grabbed my dagger." Naruto began explaining for her, he pointed at said object still in the girl's hand. "She tried to stab it into the ship to get a hold, but she didn't do it right so she kept falling."

"…I see." Ventuswill muttered as Frey nodded. "How did you come then?"

Naruto stiffened before reaching up and scratching the back of his head nervously. "Well, you see, I don't trust airships so I just put my dagger on and wait. Once it lands someone'll probably bang it on something or drop it, that gives me a signal and I teleport to it."

"…Teleporting?" Volcanon asked. "With a dagger?"

Naruto grinned and focused, after a second he vanished and appeared holding Frey's hand once more in a yellow flash. "It's called Hiraishin, or in your language, Flying Thunder God."

Ventuswill was impressed. A boy in his teens was capable of ripping a wormhole in Space. "Then rebels attempted to kill the Princess." She muttered while motioning to Frey, "But she survived by accidentally calling you to her aid." She turned to her butler. "Volcanon."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Prepare a room for the Princess." Ventuswill ordered.

"Right away!" Volcanon agreed before running off.

"E-excuse me! Do you mean, a room for me?" Frey asked meekly.

"Of course."

"But I didn't fall down with the intent to stay here…"

"No doubt." Ventuswill muttered under her breath. "Who would intentionally fall from the sky into a castle roof? It seems the fates have decided your course. There's no need to worry, I assure you." She gave the girl her best smile. "You were here because you were meant to be here."

"B-but…!"

"You shall live in this town, and perhaps in doing so, you may find clues leading to your identity. It seems the most logical course of action, wouldn't you agree?" The dragon asked.

"I'm not sure that's logical but…" Frey went silent and thought for a moment. "Are you sure I can stay…and what about Naruto?" She asked as her thoughts returned to the one who saved her life.

"Of course you can stay." She paused to think. "There isn't room for your friend however."

"You got a tree?" Naruto asked suddenly.

It was a confusing question. "Err, yes." Ventuswill answered. "In the garden." She said while motioning to the exit behind her.

"That's good enough for me." He stated. "I think it's about time I settled down somewhere anyway. I haven't really stayed anywhere longer than a day for a while."

After a short silence Naruto frowned. "Hey Frey. You mind giving me my dagger back?"

Frey looked at the dagger in her hand and clutched it slightly. "Ah…" She didn't want to give it back in all honesty, it was a way to call Naruto for help.

When someone saves your life by putting their own on the line, you tend to want to keep them around either as a friend or a form of assurance.

Feeling the girl's hesitance Ventuswill spoke. "Actually Naruto, I'd like it if you left that with her. If she were to be attacked again and no one was around the ability to call you to her in an instant could save her life."

Naruto frowned thoughtfully before nodding. "Fine, but I'm going to need something to fight with. That dagger is all I have."

"…You can teleport with a dagger, yet you only have one." The dragon said incredulously.

Naruto blushed slightly in embarrassment. "I'm not that good okay! I never really started to use it until last year, if I have too many I'll get confused on which to teleport to." It was true, that was the reason his father only had so many with him at a time.

"That only makes me incredulous that you're willing to give it to someone you've only known for an hour."

Naruto scowled. "She's got amnesia, it wouldn't feel right to just save her and abandon her."

The dragon grinned. "How chivalrous." Naruto growled at her. "In any case, in the morning go out and look for a man named Bado. He is a blacksmith."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks."

Volcanon walked in after that. "Princess, your room is ready."

Naruto grinned at Frey and started walking towards the door to the garden. "Later Frey."

"Ah, where are you going?" Volcanon asked.

"I'm gonna sleep in a tree in the garden."

Volcanon gasped, he looked scandalized. "In a tree?!"

Naruto nodded with a shrug. "Why not? It's not like I haven't done the same exact thing for years now, it's no big deal."

"Y-you've been doing that for how long!?" The man demanded.

"A few years…I think it's gonna be seven soon." Naruto muttered, not noticing the man had become teary-eyed.

Volcanon suddenly wailed surprising him, even more when he ran up and pulled him into a tight hug. "How sad, to be without home for seven years!" He wailed.

Naruto tried pushing him away. "H-hey! It's fine, I'm used to it!" That only made the man squeeze tighter and wail louder.

After a few moments everything went black for Naruto.

"Volcanon! He needs air!" Were the last words he heard.

XXX Morning XXX

Naruto opened his eyes but quickly closed them. "Where am I?" He muttered.

"You are in the Bell Hotel." A feminine voice answered him. He looked up to see a silver-haired woman looking down at him. She wore a pink dress with navy lining under a blue mantle with several more light-blue pieces of cloth hanging from it.

"Who're you?" He asked.

The woman smiled. "My name is Lin Fa. Mister Volcanon brought you here last night." She informed him. "He said that allowing you to sleep in a tree would be unacceptable, I agree."

Naruto sat up and shrugged, noting that he was sleeping on a makeshift bed of blankets. "That old man should mind his own business, he's the one that choked me out anyways."

"Hmm?"

Before Naruto could elaborate a boy a bit older than him with long blue hair entered. He wore the same outfit as Volcanon so he was probably another butler. "Ah, you're awake. Princess Frey asked me to come and get you when you woke up."

Naruto nodded. "Right. I'll be out in a second." The boy nodded and left. Naruto then turned back to Lin Fa, "I'm Naruto. Err, thanks for letting me stay here, I won't be coming back."

"No no, I insist." Lin Fa said with a look of motherly worry. "A young boy like yourself shouldn't be sleeping in trees."

Naruto waved her off. "It's fine, besides, I don't have any money."

"You could work here." Lin Fa easily offered.

He sighed. "Look, you know that princess the butler said had asked for me?" He asked and received a nod. "She's an amnesiac and I'm only here until she gets her memories back. After that…I'll head off."

"You'll leave? Just like that?"

"I never stay in one place for too long. I'm staying for who knows how long too." He clicked his teeth. "I really shouldn't stay."

"Still…" Lin Fa's look was starting to get to him. "It wouldn't be too much trouble if you stayed here."

Naruto groaned. Why did he have a weakness for people…probably because he didn't interact often. He scratched the back of his head as he set the blankets down on top of each other. "I guess I could stay, but I'm not a freeloader. If you need something just ask and I'll do it."

Lin Fa smiled. "Yes, now hurry. You wouldn't want to keep the princess waiting, would you?"

"No, I guess." Naruto yawned and stretched his arms up, popping the bones in his back. "See ya." He said as he walked out the door.


	2. Day 2: Part 1

As Naruto and Vishnal, as the butler introduced himself, walked towards the Castle Garden, Vishnal decided to explain why he was being called at…a look to the sky showed it was barely eight. "You see, the Princess called for you immediately after she awoke so I immediately left to retrieve you." He explained.

Naruto however was busy digging his pinky into his ear. "Is that it?" He asked. "Well, I guess so, what's the plan for today?"

"Excuse me?" Vishnal asked.

"Well Frey is an amnesiac so I'll be sticking around and helping her out until she gets her memories back." The blond explained.

"Ah, so you're her guard." Vishnal clarified.

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head, glancing through the trees as they walked. "Not exactly, once she has her memories I'm gone."

When they finally reached the garden Naruto paled. "What the hell happened to this garden!?" He exclaimed. Branches and stones were all over the place, some stumps that looked like their trunk and above had been violently ripped off and boulders of stone and clay littered the field. Aside from that he could also see weeds wherever he could actually see the ground.

Vishnal was about to answer when Frey exited from he castle to the garden. "Princess!" He called as he ran over to the girl, "You are the Princess, right?! I've been waiting for you, princess!"

"Waiting? We haven't been here for more than two minutes!" Naruto yelled at the butler-in-training.

"W-w-wait!" Frey exclaimed as Vishnal payed Naruto no mind and shook her hand excitedly. "I still _may or may not_ be a Princess…" She denied. "So will you just call me Frey?" She asked meekly, attempting to move into a position to run in a bee-line towards Naruto.

"Huh?" Vishnal queried in obvious surprise, going so far as to stop shaking her hand in his shock.

"Please…?" The Princess begged.

"…I see." The butler conceded after a moment. "Frey…" He muttered as if testing the name, he then smiled. "What a noble name! As noble as a Turnip!"

"Is that an insult?" Naruto asked himself. He never really bothered to pay attention to what anyone said since he just moved around a lot, so he didn't know if it was a compliment or not.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself." Vishnal said with a cough and bow, "Good morning to you! My name is Vishnal! I am training here to be a full-fledged butler! Although at times I may cause you trouble…I am honored to serve you, Frey!"

Frey smiled. "Nice meeting you." She said with a curtsey.

"Why don't I start off by introducing the field?" The training-butler began, turning to notice Naruto had already began throwing branches into a pile.

"Ah, please do." Frey begged. With no memory she hardly understood concepts like becoming a Princess or handling a dagger, much less activities such as farming.

"You can grow and harvest crops in the fields. Those crops can then be shipped in exchange for money, used as ingredients for cooking, or given to neighbors as presents." Vishnal explained. "By giving your neighbors things they enjoy, you can foster a more intimate relationship."

Taking a pause to catch his breath and retrieve a folded up piece of paper from his jacket-pocket, he continued while unfolding it. "Moreover, after you build a Monster Barn you can give presents to monsters and befriend them." He explained while pointing to a small, house-like shed sketched onto the paper. "As you can clearly see, harvested crops have a great many uses! So it wouldn't hurt to grow a lot of them. Farming can also strengthen you physically and mentally." Vishnal informed her, before adopting a curious look. "I hear that some crops can even be used as weapons, or grow into dungeons." He pointed to another object on the paper at that, an odd-shaped cavern-like entrance leading into what she assumed was the ground.

Vishnal then pointed at the last object on the paper as Naruto walked up beside Frey and inspected the paper, using the areas Vishnal pointed at from behind to learn what was what. The final object was a ball with an odd symbol on it, floating in the air apparently. "At times, you'll find Runes while harvesting crops. If you see one, don't forget to touch it, as it will boost your skills."

Naruto's eyes shot wide in disbelief. A ball that makes you stronger?

"Runes?" Frey asked.

"Oh, right! I forgot that you've lost your memory…" The butler bowed deeply. "My apologies." He then stood and stared at the image on the paper. "Runes are…the life energy of anything and everything organic in this world. In this case, you may see the crystallized forms of Runes overflowing from the crops." He smiled at the two. "So farm with love, and your crops will undoubtedly be brimming with Runes."

Taking a moment to regain his breath Vishnal continued while turning to the field. "Now about the field…"

Frey stared at the mess of stumps and boulders sheepishly. "…It seems to be…covered in weeds." It was the nicest thing to say considering what else was there.

"Quite." Vishnal admitted embarrassedly. "It's been this way since the last typhoon. But with a little elbow grease, I'm sure you'll be able to fix her up in no time!"

"…I'll try my best." Frey agreed. A glance at Naruto earned her a shrug of indifference. He didn't actually care about this but he actually used to like gardening as a little kid.

"I knew I could count on you!" Vishnal thanked. "Lady Ventuswill had to have mentioned your farming talent for a reason!"

"Wait…what did she say about me, exactly…?"

"Now let me explain to you how the crops are actually grown." Vishnal said, ignoring the question.

"I'll handle this one." Naruto interposed.

The butler-in-training blinked in surprise. "You were a farmer?" He asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No, but as a kid I gardened a lot so I know how to do this." Till, plant, water, wait. It was basic stuff back then and he could still remember planting a few vegetable seeds in his small garden.

He hoped his father took his advice and didn't let his mother anywhere near his garden. "Alright Frey, you ready?" He asked after shaking himself from his thoughts.

Frey nodded. "Yes!"

Naruto nodded and looked to Vishnal. "You got a hoe? I'm fine using my hands but since Frey is a Princess and all…"

"Of course." Was his answer, before he handed Frey a hoe he procured from…somewhere Naruto couldn't see…and some seeds. "A hoe and some Turnip Seeds."

Naruto raised a brow at the type of seeds but didn't question it, he then looked to Frey as he crouched and started to dig up soil with his bare hands. "Alright Frey, step one is to break up the soil." He then reached out a hand. "Seed please." When he was given the seed he continued. "Step two: Plant the seed in the ground and cover it with loose soil."

With that done he looked around, there was a well not too far off but he didn't think he would make the trip with some water still in his hands. Turning back to Vishnal he asked, "Do you have a watering pail?"

In a moment Vishnal was holding a nice pail in front of him. "Here."

Wondering where the pail appeared from, Naruto took it and walked over to the well, then back after filling it. He was soon crouched again and watering the seed. "Finally you water the seed daily until its ready to pick."

"Good show, Naruto." Vishnal complimented, he then turned to Frey. "Now that you know how to farm, and a seed has been planted, all that is left is to come up with a name for this farm."

"Does this really qualify as a farm?" Frey asked.

"Absolutely!" Vishnal answered. "By building Monster Barns and befriending your livestock you can collect their milk and shear their wool. It will be a true farmland in due time!"

"Wow…" The Princess muttered.

"You can also have the monsters help you with your farm work." The butler-in-training added. "Now, please think of a name!"

Frey took up a thoughtful look, wondering just what to name the farm. "Why not just name it after the Town?" Naruto chipped in.

"Selphia farm?" Vishnal questioned.

Frey thought about it before nodding, it was better than what she could come up with right now. "That sounds nice."

Vishnal nodded. "What a tasteful name!" He paused. "Although you might not have noticed yet, when you do productive work such as farming, your Rune Power begins to decrease. When you use up all your Rune Power, or RP, your Life Force will start being consumed instead making you faint from exhaustion if they fall too low." He warned. "So please be careful!"

Naruto raised a brow. He wasn't a half-bad sensor and he could interchange the phrases being used with what he was familiar with. Runes were the Natural Energy of the world his dad went on about sometimes, Rune Power was chakra. Life Force here must be the amount of chakra necessary to survive being used.

Odd, their bodies must've adapted to permanently keep a certain amount of chakra within them and shutting down other bodily functions instead of taking more. "RP can be recovered by eating, bathing, or sleeping." Vishnal continued. "At first you'll find yourself getting tired quite easily. However, as you get used to it, it'll be much easier to work."

Basic training to increase reserves.

"Before you go, I have a present for you!" The training-butler said before handing them both small bags…full of Turnip seeds.

Okay, either Turnips were lucky here or Vishnal was one weird butler. "Thank you very much." Frey said awkwardly.

"You can buy seeds at the general store. If you'd like to grow more crops, that's the place to visit." He informed them, he then started to turn away before turning back immediately. "By the way, Lady Ventuswill was calling you." He motioned to the path towards a large back-entrance to the castle, presumably the rear-entrance to Ventuswill's chamber. "The center path leads to Lady Ventuswill's room. That would be the fastest way to get there." With that he left.

Naruto looked to Frey, who at the same time looked to him. "We're fucked, aren't we?" He asked. He could teleport, yes, but he couldn't teleport with Frey and he couldn't escape a dragon even with it.

"Maybe she'll understand?" Frey suggested hopefully.

After a moment of silence they simultaneously broke out in a run towards and through the center path.

XXX Castle: Dragon Chamber XXX

Naruto and Frey arrived in the room panting, both running around the large, green-scaled dragon and far across from the main entrance to the castle. "Good morning." Frey panted out.

"Sup?" Naruto greeted casually, having come up with a way to blame Vishnal for their tardiness.

"Ah, right on time." Ventuswill said. "Good morning to you. How goes the farm work?" She asked.

They paused and in the end it was Frey who spoke, "It's fun so far!" She said excitedly to cover up the fact that they had hardly done any farming in an effort to meet her as close to on-time as possible.

"You really are an Earth-mate." Ventuswill complimented the girl.

"…Earth-mate?" Frey asked after a moment.

"Earth-mates are those who can communicate with the earth and monsters." The dragon explained. "They have long been enriching the earth through farming. That bump on the head must've messed with you far more than expected, if you've forgotten THAT!" She shook her head. "Well, lets do an experiment. Come closer."

"Okay." Frey agreed and stepped forth. "What are we doing?"

"Perhaps I can bring back your memory with my power."

"Really?!" Frey said shocked.

"Really." The dragon paused thoughtfully. "We'll, sort-of, anyway, I can't guarantee anything."

"So much for almighty." Naruto muttered, taking joy at the quick, angry glance the dragon sent him.

"Lets try it!" Frey exclaimed. She then blushed a bit and bowed her head. "I mean, please, let me try!"

"All right, all right." Ventuswill said calmingly. "Come, then. Lets go!" With a small roar Frey was surrounded by small tornado. When it died down the dragon quickly asked, "Well?"

"…Hmm…It's…not working…" Frey muttered sadly.

"So…it doesn't work, then, after all. I can't bring back memory unless I'm involved in it." A pause. "…Why don't you just give up?"

"How could I possibly do that?!" Frey retorted angrily.

"We at least know that you're a Princess. So you mustn't worry."

"We don't know that yet at all!" The Princess denied.

"That's true, the bipolar butler with the nice mustache kinda guessed on that one, considering you don't even know what this Princess is supposed to look like." Naruto added.

"We do so. You're just being stubborn." Ventuswill argued, pointedly ignoring Naruto.

"So are you." The blond stated.

"How about you go out and do some meet-and-greet with the locals?" Ventuswill suddenly offered, ignoring Naruto yet again. "Someone might recognize your face."

"Oh, that's true!" Frey agreed. "I'll do that right now! Come on, Naruto!" She shouted as she turned and began running out.

"Wait, Frey." Ventuswill said, stopping the girl.

"Hmm?"

"When you're done asking around, will you come back here?"

"Sure!"

"Good. You may go now."

With permission given Frey ran out followed shortly by Naruto. "Later!" He called back.

XXX Selphia: Plaza XXX

Immediately after leaving the castle Naruto and Frey saw a group of three people talking in the plaza. They walked up and Naruto spoke first with a wave. "Yo!"

The three turned to him and raised a brow. The first was a man with short, blue-hair connecting to a thin beard running along his jawline. He was as big as Volcanon but seemed to have a lazier air about him. He wore a black shirt underneath a brown vest with blue sleeves and a pocket on each breast. Hanging around his waist was a giant belt that didn't serve any purpose, because his black pants were underneath his vest, which the belt was over.

The next was a girl a bit older than Naruto with matching hair and eyes, her hair tied in a ponytail that reached her mid-back. She wore dress-like armor over her chest and waist, belts hanging over her waist and a long blue cape hanging from her shoulders. Aside from the armor was a large blue skirt that in Naruto's veritably professional opinion, would only hamper her on the battlefield. She wore armored gloves and grieves as well, and hanging from a belt on her waist was a sword almost as long as she was tall.

The last of the three was also a blond girl but her eyes were a lighter shade of blue. Her hair fanned out behind her in two layers, one reaching just past her neck with leaves intertwined in it, and a second reaching past her shoulders with nothing. She wore a blue dress with puffed sleeves shaped oddly like turnips. Around the waist over her dress was what Naruto guessed was a leaf-embroidered garter-belt holding up her white stockings.

"Hello?" The knight greeted.

"Sup? I'm Naruto." Naruto introduced himself with a wave, and waves a hand to Frey behind him. "This is my friend Frey. Now this may be odd but, do any of you know her?"

"…What?" The single male of the group asked.

"Well, Frey has amnesia so I'm helping her find any clues to who she is." Naruto explained.

"Amnesia, eh?" The man said a bit sadly. "That's a shame, the name's Bado and I don't know her."

"Forte." The knight introduced herself. "And I've never met her either."

"I'm Margaret!" The final member introduced herself, with Naruto now noticing she had pointed ears. "And I've never seen her once."

"Thanks." Naruto said before motioning Frey in a different direction. "Lets go see if anyone else knows you."

Frey nodded quietly and followed him.

XXX Selphia: Housing Area XXX

In the next area they checked Naruto noted there were small waterways with actual fish of all kinds swimming through them. Maybe they were connected to a river? The next group consisted of a blond boy a bit younger than Naruto and a blond woman.

The boy had shaggy hair and wore a green shirt, with a matching mantle over it. His pants were brown and reached a bit passed his ankles showing they were a bit too big for him. He wore gloves that were worn, he must explore caves or mine. At least Naruto would've thought so if the boy wasn't reading a book.

The blond woman had long hair tied back in a ponytail, she wore a nurse's cap and a matching top underneath a small blue jacket with long sleeves. Her skirt was long and blue, reaching down to her ankles before stopping.

"Hey!" Naruto called.

The two turned to him having been talking about something, most likely the book in the boy's hands. "Hello." The nurse-like woman greeted. "Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto, this is Frey."

"Hi, I'm Kiel." The boy greeted.

"You two wouldn't happen to know my friend Frey would you?" The two gave him a blank look at that. "She has amnesia and I'm trying to help her find clues to who she is."

"Oh, poor girl." The woman cooed. "Maybe my husband Jones can help you."

At that moment a man with disheveled brown hair walked out from the nearest building. He wore a doctor's cost with detached sleeves over a black knitted shirt, and brown pants. "Nancy have you seen my-" He began while looking at the woman but stopped when he saw Naruto and Frey, "Hello, who are you? I'm Jones."

"Naruto." Naruto greeted, shaking the man's hand. He could respect doctors, they saved lives whereas all he could really help with we're mundane problems.

"I'm Frey." Frey introduced herself, moving out from shyly hiding behind Naruto.

"Honey, they said that Frey has amnesia." The woman, Nancy, informed her husband.

"Ah." Jones frowned. "I'm sorry but I can't help with that, amnesia is a tricky thing. Unlike other sickness or debilitations, amnesia is a sickness of the mind and the only cure for it is certain triggers that remind you of your past."

"Do you know what they could be?" Frey asked hopefully.

"No, they could be anything, changing from person to person. Although if you wait long enough your memories may eventually return." Jones said sadly.

"Oh, thank you."

Naruto glanced at Kiel who shook his head quietly, in turn he sighed. "Alright Frey, lets keep going." Frey nodded and they continued their walk through the town.

XXX Selphia: Airship Way XXX

Entering the next area of the town Naruto recognized the Bell Hotel which he had left earlier. Looking left he noted there was only a small observation deck to look down at the forests far below the mountain the town was situated on. Turning right he saw it was a large street and a ways away he could see Lin Fa talking to two others, a girl about a head shorter than her with matching hair and a rather…plump…man with long, wavy blond hair.

Walking towards them with Frey in tow he waved and called out. "Yo!"

The group turned to him and Lin Fa smiled a bit, "Naruto, I was just talking about you."

The man of the group leaned forward. "Super hello, Naruto! I am Porcoline de Saint-Croquette!" He greeted them excitedly. He wore a chefs hat. His shirt was white from what Naruto could see, with a blue coat over it and his pink and white-striped pants. The pockets and the mans very pants were all overflowing with food! He even had rings shaped like cupcakes!

"Um…hi." The girl who looked like Lin Fa greeted. She wore a black dress with red shoulders and detached, white sleeves that were much bigger than her arms. Underneath her dress that stopped mid-thigh she wore baggy, white pants. Like her mother she had extra pieces of cloth with seemingly no reason, being a ball of white cloths hanging from the back of her dress.

"Hey, I'm Naruto…but you already knew that." He introduced himself.

"Is that your amnesiac Princess friend?" Lin Fa asked while looking at Frey.

"Yup, any of you know her?"

"I don't think I've ever met her." Lin Fa answered.

"Neither have I." Porcoline added.

"Nope, sorry. I'm Xiao Pai by the way." The girl greeted, "You're staying at my and my mom's inn."

"Ah, well, if you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask." Naruto offered. He then looked to Frey. "Lets check the last area."

Frey nodded with diminishing hope and followed him.

XXX Selphia: Melody Street XXX

The final area had two people, a red-haired boy a bit older than Naruto and an old woman. The boy wore a green jacket with feathers sewn into the lining over a cream-colored shirt. He also wore brown shorts that ended just before his knees but his shins were covered in bandages. His build was like a runner, he probably walked a lot.

"I'm tired, I wanna go back to sleep." The boy muttered. Never-mind.

The old woman had white hair already. She wore a light-red shawl…over a cream-colored pancho…over red robes…over pink robes.

What the fuck? Did this woman freeze easier than water in the arctic?! What reason did she wear so many extra things for!? It occurred to him that it was the first day of January but he ignored that.

"Hey!" The boy called. "Who are you two?"

"Naruto."

"Frey."

"Well, I'm Doug." The boy introduced before waving to the old woman. "That's my grandma Blossom."

"I can introduce myself Doug, I've still got the energy for it, unlike you." Blossom teased.

"You win one race because I took a nap and you'll never let it go." Doug grumbled unhappily.

"Anyway, have either of you two ever met Frey? She's amnesiac so…" Naruto trailed off.

Doug focused on Frey for a bit, before he backed off and shook his head. "Nope."

Blossom shook her head quietly. "No, I don't recall meeting this young lady.

Naruto sighed and patted Frey on the shoulder, "Oh well, lets go back." He directed her as they walked away towards the castle.

XXX Castle: Dragon's Chamber XXX

"Well?" Ventuswill asked expectantly when they reentered the room.

"It didn't work…" Frey muttered, depressed.

"I see. I'm very sorry." The dragon paused. "But don't be disappointed. There's still a chance that you're the Princess. You can write a letter to the royal capital to confirm it. And if all else fails…you can always start a new life here."

"It's not that easy." Frey denied.

"I know. But I'm very serious, and I think in time, you too may find it the best course of action."

"Huh?"

"This town is filled with warm-hearted people. They'll all welcome you with open arms. So there's no need to worry." The dragon said encouragingly. "Cheer up!"

"Ventuswill…"

"More than that-"

"Excuse me." Someone said as they entered the room. It was a boy just a bit over Naruto and Frey in apparent age, with straight blond hair and pink eyes. He wore glasses. Over his clothes were cream-colored robes, with a bluish cape covered in white markings following behind him.

Ventuswill stood straight and coughed. "And who, pray tell, is addressing me?"

"Arthur D. Lawrence, the 13th Prince of the Kingdom." He introduced himself. "I will be staying here in Selphia starting today. Lady Ventuswill, I kindly ask for your guidance." Silence. "…Um, is something wrong…?"

"Are you…the Prince?" Ventuswill asked.

"Yes. I thought I sent a letter stating that I would be arriving today." Arthur explained.

Frey quickly walked up and whispered to Ventuswill. "See! I told you it wasn't me! There was no way I could be the Princess!"

"Ugh, be quiet already!" Ventuswill hissed back in her own whisper. "E-even a perfect being can make a mistake or two in life!"

"Um…"

"A butler caused a fuck-up." Naruto began explaining for them, actually gaining Arthur's attention. "Frey there." He pointed at Frey. "Was kicked off of an airship by some assholes and because of reasons I was with her when she fell. If it hadn't been for me we would've become a bloody mess where you're standing when we hit the ground. Then after events, the dragon there's butler Volcanon confused Frey for the Princess of the Kingdom. He must be going senile since he didn't even get your gender right."

"Ah, I see." Arthur said. He then went silent himself to analyze the situation, when he finished and made a plan he looked up…to see the two females in the room still bickering in whispers. "Excuse me." He said gaining their attention, "Given circumstances I won't go into, I've decided to leave you as representative of the Kingdom Frey?"

"…You realize what you are saying, yes?" Ventuswill asked after a moment

"Yes."

"This isn't something you can just give away."

"Can't I? I honestly don't think it's that important of a title." Arthur said, hand-waving the entire thing. "Of course, I'm not suggesting that we trade our actual names or positions, just…"

"…Just what? What is it you're planning, exactly?"

"There's something that I wish to do." Arthur admitted. "But I can't do it if I'm busy running the town. So…will you take on my responsibilities?"

"…Wouldn't this mean betraying your father?" Ventuswill protested.

"I'm prepared for that."

"Hmm…" The dragon stared at the glasses-wearing boy intently. "I can tell the you have true passion within your heart. You have my permission. All powers and responsibilities of the prince will be given to Frey."

"…" Frey looked between the two silently. "…What!? Me?!"

"Well, they were your responsibilities anyway, until Prince Arthur appeared before us. Well just say nothing's changed and leave it at that. Shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"…Please, Frey." Arthur pleaded to the girl.

Frey looked between the two alternatively until she turned her gaze to Naruto, with Ventuswill's and Arthur's following it. "What do you think, Naruto?"

Naruto looked between the three staring at him before shrugging and pulling out a coin, "Heads, yes. Tails, no." With that he flipped it, sending it flying between the three.

All three watched the coin intently as it bounced off of the floor multiple times and landing on it's side, spinning until it finally fell on…it was just the image of slitted eye with no iris. "Heads." Naruto announced.

Arthur smiled at Frey. "I'll explain the duties of the prince in the coming days, until then I will find a place to stay."

"Huh?" Frey asked.

"You should continue to use the room in the castle. Since you are the acting Princess, after all." Arthur clarified.

"But…"

"To force a lady out of her room and into the cold would just be inviting bad luck!" The boy denied. "Don't worry. I have a talent for negotiating. I don't anticipate any problems. Now, I must be off!" He said before leaving.

"…What a dutiful young man." Ventuswill complimented when he was gone.

"You're welcome!" Naruto said to the two gaining their attention. "If I hadn't explained that mustache fucked up then that might not have gone to well."

"You did what?" The two asked.

"I explained what happened, now if you'll excuse me, I've had enough political crap for today. I'm finding a nice tree and taking a nap!" Naruto said as he ran through the exit behind Ventuswill.

"…At least Volcanon will be the one blamed for all of this." Ventuswill remarked, she didn't want that on her reputation, she worked hard for centuries to get it as it was.

* * *

**I feel like it started losing momentum near the end, probably because I felt like the chapter was getting too long.**


	3. Day 2: Part 2

Naruto was walking through the woods around the city of Selphia, it was almost dusk as he walked through the darkening path. Every so often a creature reminiscent of a sheep would come to him and sniff him, before running off fearfully. It was to be expected with who he was…what he was.

"You, stop!" A voice called, Naruto turned around to see the knight-girl Forte running towards him, her blue cape billowing behind her as she ran. She had two swords oddly enough.

"You need something?" He asked as she finally came close to him, huffing from an obviously long run.

Forte calmed her breathing and stood straight, reaching behind her and pulling out a wrapped object from seemingly nowhere.

"How the hell do you people do that?" He couldn't help himself from asking. Did they have storage scrolls that were invisible and made no smoke?

Forte raised a brow but shook her head. She then offered him the object. "Volcanon asked me to find you and deliver that to you." She informed him.

Naruto took the object, noting that it weighed a few pounds. Ripping off the wrapper showed it was a simple sword with an ordinary sheathe, along with a small note from Volcanon taped to it.

Grabbing the note, Naruto brought it to his face and read it aloud; _Sir Naruto, as the Princess' guard it is proper that you wield a weapon besides the dagger with which you are able to teleport. I have taken the liberty of crafting this blade myself, please take the time to train in its use if you haven't already learned to do so prior to our meeting. I would recommend learning from Miss Forte if at all possible, her skills with a blade are well passed the standard of a Royal Guard._

Naruto raised a brow before looking up at Forte, who was blushing from the praise. "Well? Would you be willing to teach me?" He asked noncommittally.

He didn't actually like fighting, it was the reason he left home in the first place, but he would put up with it for a while if it was part of keeping Frey out of trouble.

_Not even a full day and that girl already has me way out of my comfort zone…normal people cause a lot of trouble…_ He thought.

Forte started sputtering after he asked his question, waving her hands frantically and looking around fruitlessly for something or someone to help her. "I-?! Me-?! An apprentice?!"

"…I think that that's what it'd be, yeah, an apprenticeship. I don't really think it matters though, I could just learn myself…no matter how much I don't want to." He muttered.

Forte stopped sputtering. "What?"

Naruto sighed. "I don't like fighting, I'd rather just go around making friends than fight. I move around too fast though, so I don't have time to make any friends."

Forte frowned. "Does the Princess not count?"

"Frey…? Not really. I'm just helping her out, once she doesn't need me I'll probably head off." Naruto replied. _Besides, it'd be better if I didn't make too many attachments only for them to leave me when I'm at my worst._

Forte scowled. "Then why would you protect her?"

She took her role as Dragon Knight seriously, she might not be more than a glorified guardian to the town but it was her pride and joy to be its defender. To hear that Naruto would just leave, possibly hurting the feelings of some of her friends that formed bones with him before he did, was something she disliked. Even more so knowing that their Princess would be saddened by his leaving, even if she hardly knew the girl she didn't deserve to be abandoned, especially when she got her memories back and learned of a possibly terrible past.

"It would fuck with my conscience if I just left her alone when she needed me, so I'll stick around until she doesn't. Don't expect me to fight though, like I said, I don't like fighting so if I don't have to I won't."

"Then I won't train you." Forte announced to him. "My sword belongs to the people of Selphia and you won't be one for long."

"I _probably_ wont be one for too long. If Frey never finds something to jog her memories then who knows…I might actually get attached enough to stay. It all lands on Frey in the end." He chuckled. "Weird, I'm trying to help her a bit but I'm just screwing her over even worse."

Forte almost growled. _What is this…this idiot?! Doesn't he know how to make his own decisions? Is he purposely trying to make Frey's life harder?!_

"You know, you really should calm down. I might not like to fight, but if I have to I will." Naruto said suddenly and he turned to her with a glare, the mark in his iris spinning wildly. "If you try to hurt me I will kill you. Just like my father, aunts, uncles, and godparents would."

Forte found herself shivering under the gaze as an unsettling aura enveloped the area. _It's like staring Lady Ventuswill in the eye when you've completely and totally angered her. _She thought.

Only one person had ever done so and she could only imagine the fear he had felt being similar to what she was currently feeling while standing near the contradicting blond teen.

Naruto turned his gaze from her and the aura vanished, allowing her to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I'm heading back, you coming?" He asked.

Forte straightened and, after a moment, nodded her head. This boy wasn't like the others, he was different, dangerous. _I have to watch him closely. _She thought. Her heart was for the town and its people, her sword would be used against him if he proved he would hurt them. "Yes."

"Then lets go, I should probably check on Frey before something like with Arthur happened." Naruto remarked.

"…Arthur?" Forte asked after a moment.

"Yeah…I'm not going into that. If you want to know then ask the dragon or Arthur if you can find him."

"Show Lady Ventuswill some respect." Forte chastised.

"No thanks. To me, she's just a dragon with a stick up her ass." Naruto denied, not noticing Forte's jaw drop as they walked.

_Note to self: Naruto is suicidal. _Forte noted.

* * *

As Naruto walked through Selphia he wondered where Frey was. Amazingly enough he couldn't feel his dagger 'ping' despite everyone he asked saying that Frey had been running around looking for him. _Did I forget to charge the seal on it?_ He wondered.

"Naruto!" Frey's voice happily greeted him from behind. He turned around to see her running up to him similar to how Forte had earlier.

"Frey…how was your day?" He asked.

Frey looked up at him with tears poking at the edges of her eyes. "I was looking for you all day! I even threw the dagger at the floor like you told me to, I did it a dozen times!" She said rapidly as she held said dagger in her hand.

Naruto actually blushed a bit in embarrassment as he placed a finger on the dagger's hilt. "I may have forgotten to recharge the thing that let's me know when you drop it…" He muttered as he turned away.

Frey stared at him for a bit until her eyes widened as the situation dawned on her. "You…forgot?" She asked quietly, her expression unreadable.

Naruto's blush grew a bit. "It just slipped my mind."

Frey couldn't help but feel a bit angry, but at the same time she felt a bit amused. Naruto's only, and assumably most powerful, technique, the one he used to teleport, was useless simply because he forgot to charge it. A giggle escaped her.

"It's not funny!"

That only made her begin laughing. She didn't know why but it was funny, knowing that Naruto was useless without remembering to do something that should've been repetitive after a full year of doing it. She should've been scared of if he forgot to do it again and she was in danger, but his embarrassment only made her want to laugh.

Naruto watched with a scowl as Frey erupted into a small fit of laughter, it was melodious and soft, perfect for a princess, he noted. Still, "Yeah yeah, keep laughing. I'm going to sleep." He said as he began to walk off.

Frey quickly stopped him by grabbing his arm and trying to calm herself. "No! I'll stop laughing! I promise!" She said between increasingly smaller fits of laughter.

Naruto frowned, but nodded. "Alright."

When Frey finally managed to calm herself she noticed the sword Naruto had strapped to his side. "Why do you have a sword?" She asked.

Naruto glanced at said sword. "Volcanon had Forte give it to me, along with a note saying that I should learn to use one as long as I'm going to protect you. I don't really like fighting though, so I'll only try to learn to use it when I have too much free time."

"Oh…" Frey muttered. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, you can't really help me with something I don't want to learn anyway. In any case, how was your first day as a Princess?"

"…I don't think I'm very good." Frey admitted. "Arthur and Ventuswill said that I did well for my first day…but I don't think I would be very good at this."

Naruto closed his eyes contemplatively. "Well, I think you would be a good princess. You're everything that a princess I heard should be like."

"Huh?"

Naruto nodded to himself. "Nice, cute, polite, and willing to try. You'll be fine, and if anyone says otherwise then screw them."

Because Naruto's eyes were closed he didn't notice Frey blush at his compliments. "Thank you."

"I'm just saying what I think, no need to thank me for that." Naruto opened his eyes and looked up at the sky towards the moon. "It's getting pretty late. I'll take you back to the castle and head to the inn after that."

"Ah, thank you." Frey said as she noticed the moon rising in the sky.

"Sure, now lets go."

* * *

Naruto yawned as he entered the Bell Hotel. Oddly enough the first person he saw was Xiao Pai. "Hey." He greeted.

Xiao Pai looked up from the counter and waved after a moment. "Hello." She greeted in return.

"What're you still doing up? I'm pretty sure it's already going to be eleven." He asked.

"Me or my mother stay up at nights to register people that come at night." She explained. "Today is my turn."

"How do you do that?" Naruto asked as he walked behind the counter to look over her shoulder at the registry.

"Well, first I take their information and write it in the register, then take their money, then I give them a room key and show them to their rooms." Xiao Pai explained while motioning to the registry.

"Got it." Naruto said as he gently pushed the younger teen away. "You go ahead and get some sleep, I'll take your shift for the night."

"Huh?" The girl asked.

"I said I'll take your place for the night, now go get some sleep." Naruto reiterated.

"But-?!"

"It's fine." Naruto assured her. "Now go to sleep."

"…Okay." Xiao Pai agreed after a moment, she then left to her room to get some sleep.

Once he was alone Naruto leaned onto the counter while looking around. The room he had been asleep in was a ways away. He probably wouldn't be getting any sleep if he was going to be doing Xiao's job but it was fine, it was the first chore he would do to stay a night. _Maybe I'll just do this every night and take a nap during the day?_ He thought to himself.

Sure he would be depriving himself of sleep and defeat the purpose of him even being there, but if it kept Lin Fa's conscience clean he could at least do that. The woman gave off the vibe he had only felt from a doting mother and he couldn't find it in himself to really deny the woman.

* * *

**Sort of short I guess.**


	4. Weapons

Naruto sighed as he stood at the top of Selphia's lookout, it was one of his least favorite places but he could do two things from there. One was watch Frey for the most part while she did her duties as a princess, the other was begin studying some things that he had left alone while he was traveling.

He was studying Fūinjutsu. The complicated art of altering reality to ones whim with practical application of Chakra, or Runic Power as the people of Selphia called it, through matrices of instructions capable of infinite outcomes. His and his father's Hiraishin was a skill that was completely composed of Fūinjutsu on a level that altered Space and Time itself to warp an object, the user in this case, to a marked location in the lowest possible time-frame that wasn't an instantaneous teleportation.

A common misconception was that they teleported in that way, that was false. An ordinary person wouldn't be capable of handling such forces pulling at their every cell for even an instant, even with the technique cutting those in half. A ninja would leave half-dead if not dead as well. With slightly less than instantaneous teleportation, however, the forces were already cut in half to make the forces only one-fourth their strength. At that point some things would survive in theory, but just in case a barrier was formed from Chakra to shield anyone incapable of surviving the forces.

It was odd how much instinctual knowledge he had on the technique…but the events before and shortly after his conception did involve a lot of teleportation to private places. At least, that's what he was told when he asked.

He shook his head. "I've got to focus, this won't study itself." He murmured, then glanced up at the down, eyes darting about in search of Frey.

The flower shop? _Oh yeah…There was supposed to be some flower thing in a week or two wasn't there?_ A sigh escaped him, he liked gardening but competitions weren't his strong suit.

His had too much pride in his skills to not go over the top just to make others look back. _I probably got it from dad._ He mused. _He always was too damn prideful._

A sigh escaped his lips as he flipped through one of the Fūinjutsu books he took when he left his home…it was all too easy. His own instinctual understanding of seals ensured that he didn't truly need to study so much as learn what matrices did what. It was hard not to just skip through half the book instead of memorize it like he needed to. This was a beginner book though and it only mentioned basic matrices, instead focusing on the safety precautions of making seals.

"Hello Naruto!" A by now familiar voice called. A simple turn of his head revealed Xiao Pai had wandered to the top of the tower as well.

"Xiao Pai." He greeted in return before looking back to his book. "Shouldn't you be tripping over your own feet somewhere?" He rudely asked.

Xiao Pai scowled. "I can't be that bad!" She denied, then moments later questioned. "Am I…?"

A nod was Naruto's answer. "Yeah, remember yesterday when you dropped Porcoline's chef-hat in the lake?" He asked. He knew it wasn't actually called a 'chef-hat' but didn't give enough of a damn to find out the actual name. Oh well.

Xiao Pai seemed to deflate instantly at that. "That's mean." She huffed.

"I never said I'm nice." Naruto pointed out. "I'm honest." He corrected. "Still…they say the apple never falls far from the tree."

"Huh?"

"It means that you'll grow out of it. Things change over time, even if you don't want them to." He murmured the last bit to himself. "I'm sure that you'll grow stronger because of your bad luck and one day, you won't even remember that you have it because you're strong enough to ignore it."

Xiao Pai was stunned to silence by the small speech before smiling. "Thank you." She said, "Are you used to living in the town, yes?"

Naruto waved her off lazily. "It's just a saying I picked up on my travels. You'd be surprised what you can hear while wandering." He remarked. "As for the town thing, I'm still getting used to it. It's been a while since I stayed somewhere for a week straight."

"The last time was when?"

"…Maybe a year ago? I was in the far north and there was a blizzard that lasted a week-and-a-half. Worst time of my life besides…" He suddenly stopped, shaking his head. "Never mind."

Xiao Pai tilted her head in confusion but decided not to pry. "Take your time and you will find your place." She said before running down the stairs of the lookout.

"'Patience is key'…I guess." Naruto reiterated to himself, returning to his book. "Damn this is boring."

Glancing at his side where his new sword hung he decided to finally start training in its use. A full week he'd had the damn thing and anything seemed better than learning this, to him, boring art.

* * *

Bado's Weapon Shop. It was an oddly normal place, Frey decided as she entered behind her friend and Volcanon. Unlike the lazy dwarf that ran it, it seemed rather well-conducted. Various weapons spread about the place but separated into their own categorized areas. Spears, Swords, Great-swords, Axes, Rods, Staves, all in rather good condition and of good craft if Volcanon was right.

_I wonder why they asked me to come?_ She wondered to herself, deciding to simply smile and attempt to ignore her own awkwardness about the situation.

Volcanon suddenly spun in place to look at her. "Princess, please choose a weapon." He asked kindly.

Frey tilted her head confusedly but nodded and went about looking for the perfect weapon.

_…What to choose, want to choose?_ The swords looked commonplace and easy enough to learn but Naruto and Forte knew or were learning how to use them so both were out, there wasn't a need for another sword-user.

Staves caught her eye but she doubted she'd be any good with them, the weapons were taller than she herself was and also seemed rather over the top.

Spears were…no.

Axes? No, she didn't think she could stand swinging the heavy weapons around for too long. That left only…

_Rods._ She confirmed. Grabbing a simple wooden rod and giving it a few swings…only for a shower of sparks to shoot from the tip.

Volcanon stared with wide eyes, Naruto's mouth was agape.

Frey suddenly felt proud of herself, very proud in fact.

"Impressive!" Volcanon complimented after taking a moment to get over his surprise. "You must be a natural with spells Princess."

"Spells?" Both Frey and Naruto asked at once.

Volcanon expected the question from Frey, she had amnesia so reteaching her the basics of living in society was an obvious need. Naruto however, "I would've thought you had learned about Spells before sir Naruto."

Naruto scowled. "Where I come from we fight…differently…I thought you'd know that because I can teleport." He said.

"No, teleporting isn't as rare as you might think." Volcanon explained. "In fact, most of the townsfolk could leave the city and teleport themselves back. Teleporting to an object however is unheard of."

Naruto's mind blanked for a moment at an entire society being able to teleport, despite it being limited to certain destinations if he heard right. "I can make chains from energy." He said alternatively.

"Ah, I almost forgot about those." Volcanon muttered while reminiscing. Lady Ventuswill had informed him about their entrance originally involving chains of glowing red energy but he'd written it off as unimportant when the boy nor the Princess used them in over a week since their arrival. "In that case, how did your people fight?" He questioned.

Naruto's mouth opened momentarily before snapping shut, an embarrassed blush coming to his face as he looked away. "I didn't really stick around long enough to learn how to fight passed the basics." He muttered weakly.

Volcanon was surprised. "What? Then how did you get permission to leave?" He paused. "A chaperone?"

"…My dad thought I was ready so I left. I've still got enough to pick it up though. A few books on a rarer way we fought and one where I wrote down the various techniques I saw being used." Naruto didn't look at either of them when he spoke, rather, he stared into space with a distant expression.

Frey looked at him wonderingly. "How do you fight?"

It took a moment for Naruto to snap out of his stupor and another to process the question. "We controlled the…Runic Power…within ourselves. We did all sorts of things. Breathe fire, control water, cause earthquakes, make tornadoes, and all sorts of other things." Naruto answered. "Some families had special abilities written in their genes and could do things like creating forests or use black fire."

"Incredible!" Volcanon exclaimed. "Your people could do such things with raw control over their Runic Power?" He asked, not waiting for a response he continued. "We can barely control the elements, magic in its highest tiers only barely uses them and yet your people could bend the elements? Do you have any books on the subject? I'm sure Lady Ventuswill will wish to hear of it!"

Naruto began stepping away as Volcanon advanced a step with each question, his face the picture of eagerness. "Whoa, calm down old man. First off, I don't have any books about it, only one that I wrote down ones I saw inside of. Second, we've been doing this stuff for centuries. Finally, it isn't something I'm gonna just tell you." The blond refuted. "My people have had three Great Wars in the last seventy years! Before that it was just an era of pure war for who knows how long, all because of that power going to people's heads. Why the hell would I teach it to someone in a peaceful place?"

Frey looked between the young and old men questioningly, "Excuse me." She said to gain their attention. "What's a Great War?"

Naruto and Volcanon both suddenly clammed up, neither wanting the responsibility of explaining war to her. "Well…" Naruto began after a minute. "…We'll explain it to you some other time. For now lets do what we came here to do."

"Yes." Volcanon quickly agreed. "Now, where is Bado?"

A sudden, loud snore ripped through the air drawing all three's attention. Naruto and Frey sweat-dropped knowing who it was immediately, Volcanon however sighed and walked behind the store counter before roughly booting the dwarf who had been asleep on the floor.

"What!?" The blue-haired man cried as he shot up. He obviously hadn't slept well if the redness of his eyes was any indication.

Frey suddenly began to feel bad about coming to…she presumed get a weapon for her own self-defense…at this time. "Bado, your eyes are red!"

Bado rubbed his eyes and turned to the girl, then looked around at everyone in the shop. "Frey." He greeted followed by the calling of "Naruto." And "Volcanon." Then he answered Frey's unasked question. "Some soot got in my eyes while I was cleanin' the forge. I'll go to Jones later for some medicine."

Volcanon sighed. "Bado, I would like to purchase the rod the Princess is carrying. What will it cost?"

Now, Bado had a choice. It was no secret that Volcanon was loaded, the old man had lived in Selphia longer than any save Blossom. He'd racked up a large about of money in that time working for Lady Ventuswill and he never bought anything he couldn't acquire with his own skills. Bado could state the actual price…or make a price too large for a normal person to pay.

With a sigh he answered the real price, he might want to get rich quick but he couldn't just steal from someone. "Thirteen-hundred." It would've cost less but he sucked at making rods and staves, he needed to jack up the price because the cost of the materials he needed to make a half-decent one, much less the actually good one the girl held in her hand.

"Here you go." Volcanon stated while whipping out the necessary money and handing it to Bado, "There is a tip as well because I know Staves aren't your strong suit."

"Thanks." Bado said while rubbing his eyes. Turnip damn they burned.

"I'll also return with a bottle of eye-drops from Jones."

"Thanks." The dwarf repeated.

"You got any books on using swords?" Naruto asked.

Volcanon raised a brow. "Was Forte not your teacher?" He asked.

"She didn't want to teach me, something about how I'll be leaving." Naruto replied offhandedly.

"You're leaving?" Frey suddenly squeaked.

Naruto glanced at the girl for a moment before looking to Bado. "Yeah, when you get your memories back I'll probably be heading off. If you never get them back though, I'll stick around until the end." He paused. "On second thought, I'll have to leave eventually anyways. I made a promise to my dad before I left home so I have to go back and keep it."

Nobody had noticed Volcanon beginning to tear up comically until he pulled Naruto into a crushing hug. "I'll miss you Sir Naruto, good luck with your father!" He exclaimed.

Naruto began to choke from the force of the hug and Frey decided to speak up before he passed out once more. "Volcanon, you're choking him again." She informed the butler, immediately making him release her friend.

Naruto took in a deep breath before sending Frey a look of thanks. He then turned back to Bado. "So about that book?"

Bado shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have any books, but I can give ya the advice I gave Forte when she was starting to learn." He paused for a moment, taking Naruto's silence as a yes he continued. "You've got your basic overhead, underhand, left-right, diagonal, and reverse-diagonal swings. Those are all you need to know to be a good swordsman, doesn't matter if you know any fancy tricks."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks." Alright, so he just had to practice swinging in the four basic directions and the ones in-between them. It was all he really needed for training anyway, not to say he liked relying on the Sharingan but damn if it wasn't useful in a fight. The few he had been through we're made easy just because of he enhanced sight and predictive abilities!

With nothing left the trio of Princess, wanderer, and butler left the shop and headed towards the castle.

"…Volcanon…why did we get this?" Frey asked while lifting her rod.

"Yes, well after the debacle of the second day you were here I wanted you to be capable of defending yourself should sir Naruto be unable to reach you." The man explained.

"It was an accident." Naruto grumbled.

"It is only human to make mistakes sir Naruto. Not only that but you are young, barely fifteen, you haven't the sharp mind that having lived your life will give you either."

"…I guess so." The blond replied thoughtfully after a moment.

Frey looked at the rod in her hand wonderingly. "Should I have asked for a book like Naruto?" She asked.

"Nonsense Princess." Volcanon exclaimed heartily. "As a butler it is part of my duty to be disciplined in many arts, I have trained in the use of all weapons and I shall train you myself."

"…" Neither Frey nor Naruto could find the words to reply to that.

_Okay…the old man has some skills._ Naruto thought. Idly he wondered if this man was like his godfather in the fact that despite his eccentric personality he was an accomplished veteran. It wasn't completely impossible, seriously, who wouldn't want the credit for killing a talking dragon? He'd seen weirder so he didn't care but people here hadn't.

* * *

**The chapter needs a bit more…I dunno. Just one more chapter until actual fighting starts though so that'll be fun to write. Hopefully I won't screw that up too badly. Anyway, what did you all think?**


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